More than 1,800 Alabamians who either failed the old graduation exam or dropped out of high school before 2013 have finally earned their high school diploma, thanks to help from the Alabama Community College System.

Billed partly as a more useful credential than a GED, the program started strong in 2016, with more than 300 Alabamians earning a diploma.

Fewer people pursue the option now, but Alabama officials still consider the High School Diploma Option, or HDSO, a good option for former students.

“[Getting a high school diploma] grants them the opportunity to transition into postsecondary training or to gain job opportunities that do not accept a GED for employment,” Adult Education Deputy Director Alex Harris said.

“In some cases, residents who earned their diploma through the high school diploma option were able to advance in the workplace or retain their employment with their diploma.”

Nationwide, in 2021, graduates with high school diplomas earned $7,200 more each year compared to those without a high school diploma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The Alabama Workforce Council and the Department of Education worked together to create a new way for students to earn a high school diploma in 2016. The Board of Education stopped requiring graduates to pass the high school graduation in 2013.

Between 2009 and 2013, around 5,000 students each year failed the graduation exam and received a certificate of attendance instead of a diploma.

Here’s a look at how many people earned a diploma through the HSDO:

• 2016 – 301
• 2017 – 436
• 2018 – 325
• 2019 – 146
• 2020 – 169
• 2021 – 203
• 2022 – 171
• 2023 YTD – 66

The drop in numbers coincided with an increased statewide focus on workforce development and adult education programs that don’t require a high school diploma, Community College Communications Director Ebony Horton said.

“My presumption is that as a greater statewide focus was on helping residents find and retain employment, that more residents sought and are seeking those career-ready credentials,” she said, “not necessarily in lieu of the diploma but as an option for career training that does not require a high school diploma to complete.”

How it works

The free program is offered through the community college system in partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education.

To be eligible for the diploma, a student must be at least 19 years old and have earned at least 10 credits while in high school.

There are two pathways to the diploma: one for students who earned all 24 credits but failed one or more portions of the high school exit exam, and one for students who earned at least 10 credits, but not all 24.

The process requires:

• Students must contact the last Alabama high school they attended and obtain an official transcript.
• Students must ask their high school to send a transcript audit form to a participating adult education program.
• A local community college will work with the student to determine whether they must take any more courses or tests like the Test for Adult Basic Education.
• After all requirements are met, a student will receive a diploma from their last Alabama high school.

It’s hard to say how much time it will take each person to earn their diploma because it all depends on how many credits are needed and which assessments the student has to take.